Practically all modern automotive vehicles include alternators driven by the internal combustion engine (ICE) of the vehicle. The structure is such that a rotor shaft has one end located in a bearing shield from which the shaft projects. The projecting end is coupled to a drive pulley, which is driven by a V-belt from a similar pulley on the engine of the vehicle. The other end of the shaft is retained in a ball bearing, positioned in a second or inside bearing shield.
It has been proposed to simplify the alternator construction by making the inside bearing shield of insulating material, for example of a reinforced injection-molded plastic. This construction permits embedding connecting buses and connecting lines within the second or inside bearing shield.